Planting machine for potatoes and other tubers

Claim 2

A planting machine for tubers such as potatoes comprising a hopper for containing tubers to be planted, a movable conveyor which forms a transverse bottom of the hopper and extends outside the hopper and is movable in a given direction, means for driving the conveyor in said given direction, tuber distributing means for receiving the tubers from the conveyor and distributing the tubers one by one to the furrow to be sown, and regulating means for restricting the supply of tubers from the conveyor to the distributing means to solely one tuber at a time, the regulating means comprising a rotary structure mounted above the conveyor and defining with the conveyor a gap which is capable of allowing the passage of only one row of tubers, means for driving the periphery of the rotary structure adjacent the conveyor in a direction opposed to the direction of movement of the conveyor, a fork-shaped collector cup mounted at an end of the conveyor for receiving only one tuber from the conveyor at a time, means responsive to the presence of said one tuber in the cup and operative for stopping the movement of the conveyor when said one tuber is in the cup and allowing the movement of the conveyor when the collector cup is empty, the distributing means comprising movable cups for respectively passing through the fork-shaped collector cup and taking up a tuber received in the collector cup and depositing the tuber into the furrow, and means for driving the movable cups.

Claim 3

A planting machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the collector and movable cups have the shape of forks comprising curved fingers, the fingers of the movable cups being disposed in such manner as to be capable of passing between the fingers of the collector cup so as to take up the tuber.

Claim 4

A planting machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the regulating means comprise two vibratable panels which are respectively parallel to opposed inclined walls of the hopper, and means for driving the panels in opposite directions parallel to the panels.

Claim 5

A planting machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotary structure comprises a wheel which has vanes defining said gap with the conveyor, said gap being capable of allowing the passage of only one tuber at a time between the conveyor and the vanes.

Claim 6

A planting machine as claimed in claim 4, wherein the vanes of the wheel regulating the displacement of the tubers are flexible.

Claim 7

A planting machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hopper has inclined walls and, between the inclined walls, a partition wall terminating at a distance from the conveyor and defining above the conveyor an aperture for the passage of the tubers one by one.

Claim 8

A planting machine as claimed in claim 6, wherein the partition wall comprises at its lower part a flexible flap for braking the tubers.

Claim 9

A planting machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the collector cup is fixed at the end of the conveyor and at least one photo-electric cell disposed near enough to the collector cup for detecting the presence of the first tuber received in the collector cup is connected to the means for moving the conveyor to stop the movement of the conveyor upon detection of the tuber.

Claim 10

A planting machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the conveyor comprises two endless belts which are inclined with respect to each other transversely of the conveyor and driving sprocket wheels for driving the two belts and means for interconnecting the driving sprocket wheels so that they rotate together.

Claim 11

A planting machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the conveyor has upper tuber-contacting surface means which are driven in a substantially horizontal direction toward the collector cup.

Claim 12

A planting machine for tubers such as potatoes comprising a hopper for containing tubers to be planted, a movable conveyor which forms a transverse bottom of the hopper and extends outside the hopper and is movable in a given direction, means for driving the conveyor in said given direction, tuber distributing means for receiving the tubers from the conveyor and distributing the tubers one by one to the furrow to be sown, and regulating means for restricting the supply of tubers from the conveyor to the distributing means to solely one tuber at a time, the regulating means comprising a rotary structure mounted above the conveyor and defining with the conveyor a gap which is capable of allowing the passage of only one row of tubers, means for driving the periphery of the rotary structure adjacent the conveyor in a direction opposed to the direction of movement of the conveyor, a fork-shaped collector cup mounted at an end of the conveyor for receiving only one tuber from the conveyor at a time, means responsive to the presence of said one tuber in the cup and operative for stopping the movement of the conveyor when said one tuber is in the cup and allowing the movement of the conveyor when the collector cup is empty, the distributing means comprising movable cups for respectively passing through the fork-shaped collector cup and taking up a tuber received in the collector cup and depositing the tuber into the furrow, and means for driving the movable cups, said means responsive to the presence of said one tuber comprising a switch for stopping operation of the conveyor, a pivotal lever responsive to the reception of the tuber in the collector cup and combined with the switch for actuating the switch, the collector cup being mounted at a free end of the pivotal lever, the means for driving the rotary structure and the means for driving the movable cups being operative simultaneously and continuously, even during the stoppage of the conveyor.

Claim 13

A planting machine for tubers such as potatoes comprising a hopper for containing tubers to be planted, a movable conveyor which forms a transverse bottom of the hopper and extends outside the hopper and is movable in a given direction, means for driving the conveyor in said given direction, tuber distributing means for receiving the tubers from the conveyor and distributing the tubers one by one to the furrow to be sown, and regulating means for restricting the supply of tubers from the conveyor to the distributing means to solely one tuber at a time, the regulating means comprising a rotary structure mounted above the conveyor and defining with the conveyor a gap which is capable of allowing the passage of only one row of tubers, means for driving the periphery of the rotary structure adjacent the conveyor in a direction opposed to the direction of movement of the conveyor, a fork-shaped collector cup mounted at an end of the conveyor for receiving only one tuber from the conveyor at a time, means responsive to the presence of said one tuber in the cup and operative for stopping the movement of the conveyor when said one tuber is in the cup and allowing the movement of the conveyor when the collector cup is empty, the distributing means comprising movable cups for respectively passing through the fork-shaped collector cup and taking up a tuber received in the collector cup and depositing the tuber into the furrow, and means for driving the movable cups, said means responsive to the presence of said one tuber comprising a switch for stopping operation of the conveyor, a pivotal lever responsive to the reception of the tuber in the collector cup and combined with the switch for actuating the switch, the collector cup being mounted at a free end of the pivotal lever, the means for driving the rotary structure and the means for driving the movable cups being operative simultaneously and continuously, even during the stoppage of the conveyor.

Claim 14

A planting machine as claimed in claim 11, comprising a driving sprocket wheel for driving the conveyor and a clutch mounted between the means for simultaneously driving the movable cups and the rotary structure and the driving sprocket wheel, the switch being combined with the clutch for controlling the clutch.

Claim 15

A planting machine for tubers such as potatoes comprising a hopper for containing tubers to be planted, a movable conveyor which forms a transverse bottom of the hopper and extends outside the hopper and is movable in a given direction, means for driving the conveyor in said given direction, tuber distributing means for receiving the tubers from the conveyor and distributing the tubers one by one to the furrow to be sown, and regulating means for restricting the supply of tubers from the conveyor to the distributing means to solely one tuber at a time, the regulating means comprising a rotary structure mounted above the conveyor and defining with the conveyor a gap which is capable of allowing the passage of only one row of tubers, means for driving the periphery of the rotary structure adjacent the conveyor in a direction opposed to the direction of movement of the conveyor, a fork-shaped collector cup mounted at an end of the conveyor for receiving only one tuber from the conveyor at a time, means responsive to the presence of said one tuber in the cup and operative for stopping the movement of the conveyor when said one tuber is in the cup and allowing the movement of the conveyor when the collector cup is empty, the distributing means comprising movable cups for respectively passing through the fork-shaped collector cup and taking up a tuber received in the collector cup and depositing the tuber into the furrow, and means for driving the movable cups, the rotary structure comprising a wheel which has retractable vanes defining said gap with the conveyor, said gap being capable of allowing the passage of only one tuber at a time between the conveyor and the vanes.

Claim 16

A planting machine for tubers such as potatoes comprising a hopper for containing tubers to be planted, a movable conveyor which forms a transverse bottom of the hopper and extends outside the hopper and is movable in a given direction, means for driving the conveyor in said given direction, tuber distributing means for receiving the tubers from the conveyor and distributing the tubers one by one to the furrow to be sown, and regulating means for restricting the supply of tubers from the conveyor to the distributing means to solely one tuber at a time, the regulating means comprising a rotary structure mounted above the conveyor and defining with the conveyor a gap which is capable of allowing the passage of only one row of tubers, means for driving the periphery of the rotary structure adjacent the conveyor in a direction opposed to the direction of movement of the conveyor, a fork-shaped collector cup mounted at an end of the conveyor for receiving only one tuber from the conveyor at a time, means responsive to the presence of said one tuber in the cup and operative for stopping the movement of the conveyor when said one tuber is in the cup and allowing the movement of the conveyor when the collector cup is empty, the distributing means comprising movable cups for respectively passing through the fork-shaped collector cup and taking up a tuber received in the collector cup and depositing the tuber into the furrow, and means for driving the movable cups, the rotary structure comprising a wheel which has retractable vanes defining said gap with the conveyor, said gap being capable of allowing the passage of only one tuber at a time between the conveyor and the vanes.

Claim 17

A planting machine as claimed in claim 13, comprising radial slots in the wheel in which slots the vanes are slidable, pins on the vanes, side walls fixed on each side of the wheel and each defining an eccentric groove, the pins being cooperable with the grooves.